Indigenous to Indigenous hui in Taiwan

Te Mātāwai representatives participated in our first ‘Indigenous to Indigenous’ international engagement in September.

Board member Teina Boasa-Dean and two of our kaiwhakahaere Nate Brabender and Ria Tomoana were invited to take part in a series of events hosted in Taiwan to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of the ANZTEC Agreement (Aotearoa New Zealand and Taiwan Economic Cooperation Agreement).

Te Mātāwai joined a delegation from Te Puni Kōkiri, NZ Māori Tourism, Independent Māori Statutory Board, GNS Science, CAPEs, Tauhara North Trust and Hinewai McManus (Owner, Operator and Lead Guide of Te Urewera Treks) and were hosted by the NZ Trade Commissioner Tina Wilson and The Taiwanese Council of Indigenous Peoples.

The Te Mātāwai team shared our te reo Māori journey in Aotearoa and enjoyed learning about Taiwan’s approach to supporting the revitalisation of their 16 different Indigenous languages through the work undertaken by the Council of Indigenous Peoples and their Indigenous Language, Research and Development Foundation.

Te Mātāwai Kaitohutohu Matua, Ria Tomoana says, “As Indigenous people we can understand each other’s struggles because we have been there too and so we share the learnings and the load (where possible) to make the pathway easier. That’s what this trip was all about.”  The Te Mātāwai team presented to high-level government officials, including meeting the Minister for the Council of Indigenous Peoples, Mr Icyang Parod, the Mayor and leaders of Sandimen Township and the Austronesian Language Forum. Te Mātāwai representatives were also interviewed by local indigenous television broadcasters.

“One thing that stayed with me from our trip was a comment Tāmati Olsen from Te Puni Kōkiri, ‘imagine a time when we, as Indigenous peoples, can speak to each other without relying on the language of our colonisers’”, Ria said.